As I pull up to Clay Pot, a local Asian restaurant located off of 10^th street and I-35, I suddenly notice how awkward and out of place it looks. The red, yellow and green paint on the outside of the building make it look silly, not at all like what a typical building would look in Waco. It’s just a little too much for the eyes. The parking lot is quite small, much like what I said about Baris in last week’s post.

          Upon entering Clay Pot, I see that there are both regular seating, tables and chairs, and ground seating with pillows and a low set table. My cousin Kat, who decided to eat with me, wants to sit on the floor. The pillows are quite comfortable and I instantly like the decision to sit on the ground. The televisions are set to the Olympics and it makes me quite content. As I gazed around the room, I can see a variety of oriental decorations. The owners have hung paper lanterns around the room in the shape of boxes and lotus petals. It is quite stunning and the light from the lanterns gives a soft glow to the ambiance.

          The restaurant is relatively on the smaller side and, although there are empty tables, the room feels pretty packed. The employees are very nice with their greeting and I instantly prefer the service of Baris’ service. I order lemonade and Kat gets water. I also order fried dumplings and Clay Pot fried rice with beef, and Kat orders a clay pot. The lemonade is, in my opinion, amazing. It is the perfect mix of sweet and sour! The water is just regular tap.

          The food comes out relatively fast and, while I’m waiting, I notice that selection of condiments include soy sauce, sriracha hot sauce and hoisin sauce, all typical Asian food condiments. Soy sauce is obviously salty, and the sriracha adds a pleasant heat level to food. Hoison sauce is a little different thought; it is a mixture of sweet and salty, but not in the typical since. It has a unique flavor that's quite indescribable flavor, so if you ever get the chance to try it, keep an open mind.

          The fried dumplings are very oily, but aren't that bad. It comes in a cute, boat-shaped bowl with lettuce and an orange sauce. The orange sauce is sweet and tangy. The dumplings are crispy and very oily, but not bad at all. They are slightly salty and juicy on the inside. When I eat the lettuce, dumping and sauce together, I’m surprised to say that it tastes pretty good. The lettuce is slightly bitter which mixes well with the slightly salty dumpling and sweet sauce.

          After finishing off the dumplings, I proceed to the main course, the fried rice. The rice is really brown and comes out on a large, square plate. The rice hast onions, beef, green onions, eggs and cilantro mixed into it. My first bite has me taken back. It is way too salty! After trying each ingredient separately, I come to the conclusion that the rice is where all the salt is coming from. I’m assuming that they put too much soy sauce in it when frying the food. However, I really like the onions and green onions. I try adding the dumpling’s sweet sauce and it still isn't enough. Although I finish the meal, I am really disappointed in the fried rice.

          All over, Clay Pot has really amazing servers and staff. They are attentive, polite and genuinely nice. The ambiance is soft and warm, but the room got way to stuffy. They even had to leave the front doors open to air out the restaurant. As for the food, the lemonade was amazing and the dumplings were pretty decent. However, the main course just did not sit well with me. Even now, as I am writing this blog post, my throat simply craves water just thinking about the fried rice. I would definitely go back, I just wouldn't get the fried rice again.